The atmosphere at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The home side was losing against Torino, a team that had allowed 10 goals while managing only two goals in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in a long-running conflict with club owner Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress falling apart, or was there ever any cohesion holding it together from the beginning? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri to lead the team this summer, before he publicly stated that the management had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for accounting issues. Speculation that he could resign were not true, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic in their performances as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other initial five matches, which included the capital clash. Throughout this period, it has been hard to determine if progress is being made or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Return
At least one man remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio during this campaign. He completed last season with Parma on loan and, at the start of the off-season, his parent club were attempting to stay there for another season. The signing restriction necessitated a reconsideration. The club couldn't risk to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place during Sarri's previous tenure, at that time a 20-year-old graduate of Verona's academy. He made 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, almost all of those coming off the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His True Position
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to determine the nature of his skill set. Originally described as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. During 63 outings on loan at Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he scored seven times. Shoehorn
